April 28, 2014

We finally got some much needed rain this weekend (it always seems to come on a weekend!). The snails are happy. The photographers were out hunting rainbows. The pattering sound on my roof was comforting.

I have only one haiku so far that mentions rain in Paris (but it’s not about singing in it), so I thought I’d post that one this week.

The sheets of gray zinc used on the roofs of so many Paris buildings gives almost any view over the city’s rooftops a uniform and rhythmic quality. Add in the rows of clay chimney pots and topmost windows (often with flower boxes full of bright geraniums overflowing the railings), the ubiquitous shutters and cream-colored building façades–and you have another “icon” of Paris: its rooftops. The patterned effect is charming. They look even better when wet!

(Note: My photographer son shot this photo looking out from the Chimera Gallery up on Notre Dame Cathedral. Many people also enjoy the classic rooftop views seen from the top steps of Sacré Coeur. You might have a favorite rooftop view from your own balcony!)